London Visit

We travelled up in Thursday and stayed at a campsite within 10 miles of the Hospital so it took us about half an hour to drive there. We couldn't believe it, left Bristol in brilliant sunshine and arrived in London to heavy rain! It did stop after a while and brightened up just as the sun was going down. We took the small van so we could commute easily, poor thing was dwarfed up against the other vans on the site but she did us proud.

The visit to the hospital was successful, I wasn't rejected. I had a blood test and ECG and then a consultation. The doctor was Spanish so we had to concentrate on what he was saying, but we do have some advantage and experience of the accent :-) After his consultation he went to discuss my case with the Professor, who then came to see us. They were very thorough in their pre-amble to make sure we understood the nature of the trials and the different phases they go through before they can be administered as routine treatments. The trial I am likely to be involved in will have only been tested on animals previously, so it's done under close supervision. I don't have any details yet, they have an "allocation meeting" on Tuesday, where they will allocate me to what they think is the most appropriate trial. This could involve chemotherapy, non-chemotherapy or both.

Once I am allocated to a trial, they will send me all the paperwork about it for me to read and then I can decide whether to proceed or not. I have another appointment on the 5th September to discuss next steps, although it could still be several weeks before the trial starts.

So all in all, a successful trip, and we're pleased with the outcome so far. Meanwhile I need to get over the side effects of the last chemo anyway as my immune system is low and I am suffering from quite bad skin rashes causes by the toxicity of the last drug.

Enjoy the Bank Holiday, the weather is looking good.
Sheila x

Off to London

I had a great Birthday on Monday, went to Bath for the day, did some shopping, eating and drinking. We found a central hotel closeby too and went for a Spanish tapas meal in the evening to a place called La Flamenca, recommend it.

When we got back I found a letter from the Royal Marsden for an appointment this Friday! I know nothing more at this stage, but I wasn't expecting anything for a few weeks, so watch this space and when I know any more I'll post it up.

Sheila x

Not Working

Just a quick update to let you all know that the chemo is not working again, the tumour is still growing, albeit not rapidly at this stage. There is no point continuing with the current drug. This leaves me two choices, 1) to do nothing and treat symptoms as they arise or 2) put myself forward for experimental treatment in London. I have chosen the latter option and must now wait for an appointment at the Royal Marsden to see if they will accept me onto a suitable trial. Everyone thinks I would make a good candidate, I am young (!) and fit and pretty determined, so hopefully that will be enough, we will see.
Tomorrow I have to get my new blood, 4 hours sat in a chair, with no space for visitors. I'll need a good book to keep me occupied. It is really boring, but hopefully this will help the fatigue I'm getting.
Anyway, must go, family to ring.
Sheila x

At last some sunshine

At least the weather has finally decided to perk up and to show our support for flood hit areas we are off to Gloucestershire for a few days, trying to help the local economy (pubs and restaurants mostly) get back on their feet.

The conservatory is built, we have to wait 4 weeks before tiling the floor. We've chosen the tiles and furniture so it's just a matter of waiting. It's a lot warmer than our last conservatory, it gets more sunshine and reached 55 degrees the other day, so we must remember to leave the vents open. We've designed the garden and are waiting for a quote, unfortunately they are so busy they can't do it until December! Frank thought the guy was joking, it's the sort of thing he'd say for a joke, but he wasn't. We've figured if we have to wait, he's probably worth waiting for, so it's mud until then.

Had my third treatment yesterday, no problems on the day. I saw someone using the cold cap for the first time, it's a treatment they use to try to prevent hair loss in chemo. I didn't bother, it's supposed to be painful, cold and doesn't always work. Not good odds I thought. It's quite a contraption too, bright pink neoprene, looks a bit like a cross country riding helmet. Maybe they use blue for the boys, I'm not sure :-) My blood count has continued to fall however, so I have to get a blood transfusion next week, two bags worth. Next week is also a big week as I have my CT scan on Monday and the assessment of whether this treatment is having any effect on Wednesday. So keep everything crossed.

Anyway, I'm off to enjoy the sunshine, before my afternoon nap :-)

Sheila x